Journal Entry 1 by neschka from Ulm, Baden-Württemberg Germany on Saturday, October 14, 2006

From Publishers Weekly
In her previous novels (The White Bone; Mr. Sandman; etc), Gowdy's imagination blazed new trails, melding bizarre characters into memorable situations. This novel is as beautifully written as its predecessors, but more traditional than the Canadian writer's usual fiction. She examines the mysteries of love and its absence in two damaged children whose adult lives remain shadowed by their early experiences. In the early 1960s in Toronto, when she is 10, narrator Louise Kirk falls in love with a new neighbor boy named Abelard, the adopted son of the Richter family. Louise's mother, a former beauty queen who said things like, "Nobody would believe you're my daughter," abandoned Louise and her passive father a year ago, and Louise prays that the Richters will adopt her, too. Louise has oceans of love to lavish and focuses all her psychic and emotional energy on Abel, who can't bear the weight of it because he is more fragile than she is. She remains obsessed with Abel even after his family moves away, and on the night he briefly reappears, when she is in high school, she conceives his child. But the curious, tender boy she knew has become an alcoholic, taking refuge in Rimbaud and determined to end his life. The narrative moves back and forth in time, spinning out the story of the doomed relationship. Each of the characters, even minor ones, has a unique voice and a vivid, quirky personality. Louise's need to have Abel create the world for her resonates with unfulfilled passion. In reining in her imagination to the limits of a conventional love story, Gowdy has produced her most haunting and sensitive novel to date. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Journal Entry 2 by quico from Coimbra (cidade), Coimbra Portugal on Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Here it is. Thanks a lot, neschka! 

Journal Entry 3 by quico from Coimbra (cidade), Coimbra Portugal on Tuesday, February 06, 2007

This was kind of disapointing, after "The White bone", so far my favorite book from the author. "The romantic" is a well writen story of hopeless love (or obsession), but a predictable one. The names of the main caracters, Louise and Abel,(Heloise and Abelard), make clear from the start that their love is doomed. The reasons of their fate are not satisfatory explained and Abel's personality is a mistery. The secondary caracters are interesting and I would like to know more about them.
Not a waste of time, not a bad book, but the author can do much better...
 

Journal Entry 4 by quico from Coimbra (cidade), Coimbra Portugal on Thursday, February 15, 2007

Here it goes (at last!)to lftt. 

Journal Entry 5 by Ligiafteixeira on Friday, February 16, 2007

Just arrived! Thanks, neschka, for sharing, and quico, for all your patience with all the undelivered PMs :)
I'll keep you all posted! 

Journal Entry 6 by Ligiafteixeira on Thursday, April 12, 2007

As my TBR pile is getting huge and I won't have time to read it in the next few weeks, I'll send it along to the next person. Sorry for keeping it so long, but I was really hoping to be able to read it :( Sending PM to ritao 

Journal Entry 7 by Ligiafteixeira on Thursday, April 19, 2007

Ooops! :( I couldn't get in touch with ritao for a few days and PMed Wormyone. Sent it today and ritao just PMed me with her address... neschka, can you change the order, so ritao can read it after wormyone? Sorry! 

Journal Entry 8 by WormyOne from Brighton & Hove, East Sussex United Kingdom on Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Received today. Thanks Neschka and Ligiafteixeira for enabling me to cross this book off my wish list.

The blurb reads:

"When ex-beauty queen Helen Kirk leaves her husband, she takes her pageant crowns with her but not her daughter Louise. Abandoned and lonely, the romantic 10-year-old becomes obsessed by her new neighbours, first Mrs Richter, then her son Abel. Louise has found her one true love but there is one problem: has Abel found his?" 

Journal Entry 9 by WormyOne from Brighton & Hove, East Sussex United Kingdom on Friday, May 04, 2007

I enjoyed this story of a motherless young woman's romanticism, expressed through her obsessional love for an unreliable alcoholic. I was frustrated by a lack of insight into the driving forces behind Abel's alcoholism and enjoyed his desire to see the best in everything, to do no harm and to take responsibility for the whole world. 

Journal Entry 10 by WormyOne at Train station in Brighton & Hove, East Sussex United Kingdom on Friday, May 04, 2007

Released 5 yrs ago (5/10/2007 UTC) at Train station in Brighton & Hove, East Sussex United Kingdom

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

On the seats nearest the ticket barriers, on the concourse.